RELIGION HEADLINES – SAT 5-16-26

(SRN NEWS)  Tech companies are increasingly seeking guidance from faith leaders to shape artificial intelligence.  Last month, the inaugural “Faith-AI Covenant” roundtable took place in New York, organized by the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities. The goal is to create a set of norms informed by various faiths.  However, some critics argue this approach may distract from broader AI issues.  While companies like Anthropic actively engage with faith leaders, skeptics question the sincerity and effectiveness of these efforts in addressing AI ethics.  And it’s unclear to what extent the companies are translating what they hear from faith leaders into action. 

 

(  )  Political scientist Ryan Burge, who studies religious demographics, is issuing a warning for the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S.  He says that despite a rise in baptisms and attendance, the Southern Baptist Convention faces a likely future of continued declines.  Last year’s three percent membership drop amounted to nearly 400,000 people — which is the size of some small denominations.  Burge, a professor at Washington University, adds “The SBC has a baby boomer problem. Structurally speaking, it’s hard to outrun that demographic cliff.” 

(  )  Conservative Catholics are concerned that the Vatican is sending new signals about how it intends to accommodate homosexuals in the Pope Leo era.  A Vatican working group has released a report featuring the testimony of two gay, married Catholics who complained about the church’s traditional stance on human sexuality.  Pope Leo also stated during a recent airborne news conference that he believes the church’s teachings on social justice, equality and freedom are far more important than its teaching on sexual morality.  Observers say the pontiff is likely to largely ignore issues of sexuality.   

(  )  Within the past decade, most women’s colleges in the United States have expanded their admissions policies, allowing men who are living as women to attend.  Now the Trump administration is investigating Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts for violating Title Nine, the law that prohibits discrimination based on someone’s sex.  The Education Department has issued a statement saying, “An all-women’s college loses all meaning if it is admitting biological males.”  Many alumni of women’s colleges have expressed concern about admitting men, saying the decision threatens a women’s college’s reputation and identity.